To see all the latest news posted on the TAWB website, click here.

On a 359-53 vote in the House and 92-6 in the Senate, Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-relief package and $1.4 trillion government funding package that gives critical pandemic aid to Americans, while securing federal agency operations through September 2021.

The Biden administration has named Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s education commissioner, as the U.S. Secretary of Education nominee.

As people start to ponder how they can improve their lives post 2020 and in our, eventually, pandemic-free world, these reskilling and upskilling programs look like they could be useful and even life-changing opportunities.

The Restaurant Recovery Initiative provides for a series of videos that will share best practices to assist employers in adapting jobs to remote and contactless operations and in taking advantage of new service delivery trends.

El Paso Community College (EPCC) announced Friday that they will be awarded $1,500,000 through the Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is awarding $18.1 million to 49 Texas higher education institutions as part of the first round of the program.

Texas Adds 61,000 Nonfarm Positions Over the Month.

Chapter 313 is up for reauthorization in the upcoming state legislative session. The Partnership, along with businesses, chambers of commerce and economic development organizations across the state are working diligently with our elected officials to ensure that the program continues.

RAM Inc. was nominated by Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas and chosen as the Small Employer of the Year from among three exemplary finalists, out of 21 small employers nominated.

DHR Health was nominated by Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley and chosen as the Large Employer of the Year from among three exemplary finalists, out of 19 large private-sector employers nominated.

Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas among workforce board pilot partners and regional organizations selected Future of Work Grand Challenge.

TAWB is always on the lookout for information about your innovative programs that can be shared and duplicated by other local workforce boards through the TAWB website. Descriptions may be submitted to TAWB Executive Director Greg Vaughn in narrative form, such as articles and news releases, or through the TAWB Best Practices Form that can be used to provide basic information about your program. Recent features include:

Workforce Solutions Capital Area developed this communications tool for its WorkNOW initiative which utilizes earned media, radio, email, digital media, and video to help Travis County residents rapidly link to a diverse range of fast-track, no-cost training programs.

After she started participating in the ABC13's virtual job fair, Kendra Isom got in touch with Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast. Three weeks later, she received multiple job offers.

"COVID: Safety & Sanitation for Business" teaches participants how to maintain a healthy and safe environment for employees and patrons.

A few of the recent additions to the TAWB website include:

Teaming up with the National Association of Workforce Boards, UpSkill America developed a new tool that explains just how these organizations can help you. The tool provides an overview of what the public workforce system does and connects you to resources to start taking advantage of its services.

National Skills Coalition – and our network of business leaders, labor leaders, community advocates, community colleges, and workforce and education officials – is ready to partner with the Biden Administration to advance an economic agenda that is inclusive and leads to equitable results for every worker in every industry.

The Texas Association of Business and our program partners have assembled this Return to Work Resource Guide to help Texas employers and workers get back to work safely and as soon as possible.

Aspen Institute Job Quality Fellows developed these recommendations for a policy agenda for economic recovery focused on job quality and economic inclusion during a set of meetings this Fall. Our opinions differ on some policy questions, but we are unanimous on the need for effective action now.

We propose an Education and Employment Promise for the 2020s, and offer the following components as a starting point.

Chief executives and board chairs should serve as each other's chief champions -- and critics. But giving and taking criticism is hard for many of us. Here are some tips to help you build this critical skill into your partnership from day one.

One of the key ingredients is a constructive partnership between the board chair and the chief executive. This resource featuring frequently asked questions about board chair-CEO communications is designed to help.

Monthly newsletter produced by TWC Labor Market and Career Information Department covering issues relating to the Texas economy.

Bills that have been filed and identified as Board-related bills for tracking by the Texas Workforce Commission since bill filing began on Monday, November 9, 2020, are listed below by issue area. The 87th Texas Legislature will convene on Tuesday, January 12, 2020 at noon.

HB 655 by Rep. Raymond 

Relating to a study on a statewide disaster alert system and implementation of that system. 

HB 692 by Rep. Shine

HB 700 by Rep. Jarvis Johnson

HB 634 by Rep. E. Morales 

HB 710 by Rep. Coleman

HB 749 by Rep. Middleton Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying activities.

HB 768 by Rep. Patterson 

 SB 234 by Sen. Hall 

HB 739 by Rep. Lopez 

C2 Global Professional Services was founded to offer a viable, and now successfully proven, alternative to what is available in terms of service providers. We look for Workforce Investment Board partners to commit to working beyond workforce dogma to improve communities, invest in staff development to achieve exceptional customer service and invest in innovation and technology to improve the system.

CEV Multimedia has specialized in providing quality CTE curriculum and educational resources for over 35 years. In 2012, CEV introduced iCEV, an online platform revolutionizing the way CEV produces and delivers educational content. iCEV is the most comprehensive online resource for CTE educators and students offering learning-on-demand features, video clips streaming and testing and grading capabilities to any device with Internet capabilities. Additionally, iCEV acts as a certification testing platform for industry certifications. Recognized companies and trade associations such as Southwest Airlines, Express Employment Professionals, Elanco and BASF utilize iCEV as the testing platform for their certifications.

CompTIA offers training solutions to provide traditional accelerated courses and fully customized training to meet business needs. With job-focused training that mirrors the workplace, learners have greater employment and advancement opportunities. Our custom offerings include access to the entire CompTIA certification catalog with labs and hands-on training, as well as soft, employability skills training. CompTIA Custom Training brings best-in-class instructor-led training on-site or in a virtual environment to workforce development initiatives, corporations, academic institutions, government entities and nonprofit organizations.

Equus Workforce Solutions:  Our dedicated and passionate team of 2,500+ workforce professionals puts the industry's best practices to work across more than 350 North American locations, assisting approximately 1.9 million job seekers and thousands of employers annually. Together with our partners and collaborators, we work every day to change lives, advance economies, and help communities thrive.

Grant Associates is a national, award-winning workforce development company. Since opening our doors in 1997, we have collaborated with government agencies to develop workforce programs and solutions that create the opportunities that advance job seekers, businesses and local economies, all with exceptional results. At Grant Associates, we know every community's workforce needs are unique. With proven models and in active partnership with government, Grant Associates' mission is to tailor solutions that build workforce capacity, proving over the past two decades that our approach helps a community reach its true potential.